


Chase the Nightmares Away

by SpaceDimentio



Category: Super Paper Mario (Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-14 18:44:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14142198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceDimentio/pseuds/SpaceDimentio
Summary: Though his heart was consumed by dark power, he still had great kindness in him. To him, they aren't just his minions, they are his family.An exploration of Count Bleck's relationships with his minionsWritten in 2015





	1. Dreams

With a jolt, Blumiere awoke, drawn from the world of dreams by some horrendous nightmare. He reached a hand out to his right and felt immeasurable relief when he found Timpani there, sleeping peacefully beside him. He calmed his breathing and rolled over to look at the alarm clock. It said it was almost four in the morning.  
  
He sighed and got out of bed. He didn't used to have nightmares this often. He was having one nearly every night now. He could never fall asleep after this particular one and didn't bother to try. He might as well look for something productive to do.  
  
He wandered through the kitchen and living room before going outside, where he felt more at ease in the cool night air. He climbed up the hill to the lone tree that grew there and looked out into the valley below. At the bottom, there was the little cottage that had been waiting for Timpani and himself when they got there, fresh from renewing their vows and married by the Purity Heart.  
  
Tearing up a bit at the memory of the dire moment, he sat down and leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes wearily. His thoughts turned to the five people who had been his closest companions for months. He missed them, even Dimentio, and especially Nastasia. He didn't feel as happy as he could be here. He was incomplete.  
  
Someday, he would find a way back. Someday…


	2. Nightmares

A scream echoed throughout the castle, waking its residents. Already awake, Count Bleck rose from his bed and carefully crept down the hallway. Of his three minions, he knew which one had cried out, and went directly to her door. Cracking it open, he peered inside and, sure enough, saw the little green girl he'd met just a few days ago sitting straight up in her bed, crying.  
  
She saw him and gasped, not recognizing the glowing red eyes in the dark.  
  
"Mimi?" Count Bleck spoke softly.  
  
She calmed down some, recognizing his voice. "O-Oh, count…You scared me."  
  
"Ah, he is sorry. The dark becomes him too well…"  
  
Mimi bunched up her big pink comforter in her hands, kneading it nervously. She swallowed, trying to still the tremors that still racked her small frame.  
  
Count Bleck entered and hesitantly stepped up to the bed. "Nightmare?" he asked.  
  
She nodded. "Y-Yeah…"  
  
The count didn't reply.  
  
"W-What did you come in here for?"  
  
He smiled warmly and sat down next to her. "To check on you, my dear."  
  
Mimi looked up at him, her eyes watery with disbelief. "Y-You did? Why…?"  
  
Count Bleck took her hand and didn't reply for a long time. Finally, he said, "Because… Someone taught… Count Bleck…a long time ago, that everyone had value, no matter how bad or good…"  
  
Mimi frowned at her lap, biting her lip. "My master didn't think so…"  
  
"Well, Count Bleck is not them, is he." It wasn't a question, more like a statement. "There's nothing to fear here."  
  
"I-I know… It's hard to believe that…" Mimi said sadly, not meeting his eyes.  
  
Count Bleck's gaze softened even more. He let go of her hand and gently massaged her shoulder with his thumb. "Things will turn out for the better. We must always believe that…"  
  
Mimi smiled slightly, but didn't move.  
  
"Now, would you like to tell Count Bleck about your nightmare?"  
  
The little green girl blinked up at him with surprise. "Um… Golly, I don't even remember it anymore!"  
  
Count Bleck smiled and stood. "Ah, then Count Bleck's work is done."  
  
Mimi returned his smile. She crawled back under the covers. Count Bleck hesitated for a moment before reaching out and tucking her in, to her shock. She met his gaze, a question in her eyes. His own amber eyes conveyed only kindness.  
  
With a murmured "goodnight," the count crept out of the room and softly shut the door. "Goodnight…" Mimi whispered after he was gone, hardly daring to believe she'd found a real home.


	3. Loyalty

Count Bleck marched towards his office, trying to keep his emotions in check. What she had said earlier… He knew it was true. There was still time to turn back, to find his heart again and cast away this façade. But how could he, when his heart was no more than a void of despair and grief?  
  
He stopped in his tracks. Someone was sobbing.  _She_  was sobbing. He stood in the hallway debating with himself for what must have been minutes before he finally strode up to her door and raised his hand to knock. He listened for a moment before producing a dull  _clunk clunk clunk._  
  
There was only the sound of crying. He swallowed and carefully cracked the door open. "Nastasia?" The crying cut off with an abrupt choking noise. "Nastasia, may Count Bleck come in?"  
  
"Y-Yes, of course… Always…" came the shaky answer.  
  
He paused, then delicately entered the room. He'd been right. Though she kept her head down, he could still see the faint mark of trailing tears on her cheeks.  
  
He slowly sat down beside her and wordlessly wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She made a small sound of surprise and looked up at him questioningly. He didn't meet her gaze. "Count Bleck is… No…  _I_  am sorry for the way I acted earlier…" he muttered under his breath.  
  
Nastasia blinked. "You don't have to apologize…"  
  
"Of course I do. There is no excuse for treating you that way."  
  
She bowed her head. "I-I shouldn't have brought it up…"  
  
"No, Nastasia, you were right. I could stop this, but I simply don't have the heart to. I am weak, and Count Bleck is so strong…" he confessed, voice barely above a whisper.  
  
The blue-skinned secretary, his closest friend, gently leaned into him and rested her head against his side. "You're anything but weak…" she murmured, thinking of all the long years they had spent together before her friend's spirit crumbled.  
  
Count Bleck sadly shook his head. "I am only sorry I have dragged you into this."  
  
Nastasia snorted. "Don't be. I will never leave your side, Blumiere," she said firmly.  
  
"Oh, Nastasia…" The count closed his eyes, taking in her companionship. He turned and hugged her, stiffly standing and moving away after a few moments. He reflexively pulled down the brim of his hat, not moving until his emotions were in check. He glanced over his shoulder. She was still sitting there, her hands folded in her lap, and her crimson eyes cast downwards.  
  
" _I am so sorry…_ " he whispered with a soft sigh. He left the room without looking back again, a few tears of his own escaping. He knew that she loved him with all her heart, just the same way that he did with Timpani. It broke his heart, not being able to return her feelings. She deserved so much better than him. If only his fate could be different…


	4. Home

_"So, this will be my room?" the bedraggled jester asked, his yellow and grey eyes glowing with suspicion.  
  
The count nodded. "Yes. You can decorate it in any way you see fit, Dimentio. Welcome to Castle Bleck."_  
  
Count Bleck was reminiscing. He was worried about Dimentio. The jester hadn't shown up to meals for the past couple days, and had seemingly locked himself in his room. The count remembered when he had first brought Dimentio to Castle Bleck. He'd seemed so unsure, even more surprised than Mimi that a complete stranger had taken him into his home.  
  
Though it was Dimentio who had asked it of him, of course. He had been hesitant at first, wary about how this stranger had come to learn of him and his mission. The Dark Prognosticus supplying nothing about a jester. The second time, though, he had decided to allow him to join just because he looked like he really needed to. His clothes had been ragged, and he'd looked pretty thin, as if he didn't get enough to eat. He was confident that the prophecy would carry itself out no matter what, so he had listened to his heart for once.  
  
He had been delighted to see a playful, boyish nature emerge that Dimentio's hard life had not allowed to surface before. There seemed to be something off about him, but he attributed it to his lack of any family to speak of. He never spoke of them if they existed, at least. He wasn't very social, and didn't seem to enjoy idle conversation. In fact, the only person he spent a sizeable amount of time with was Mr. L.  
  
He knocked on the jester's door. "Dimentio? It's Count Bleck. Is something troubling you?" There was no reply from within, but the door was unlocked so he entered anyway. The jester was on his bed, back to the door, legs folded against his chest and his arms around them. He was staring vacantly at the wall, deep in thought.  
  
Count Bleck strode over to him. The masked man didn't so much as look up at him. Cautiously, the count extended a gloved hand and placed it on the jester's shoulder. "Dimentio?"  
  
The jester raised his head and  _glared_  at the blue-skinned man. Count Bleck felt the man's muscles tighten and immediately took a step back, unsettled. For a moment, he saw pure hate in that stare, before it was covered by a smile.  
  
"Yes, my count?" the masked man asked in an overly cheerful tone. "What can I do for you?"  
  
The count frowned. "It seems the question should be what Count Bleck can do for  _you_."  
  
Dimentio cocked his head. "Whatever do you mean?"  
  
"Are you unhappy here?" Count Bleck asked, giving the man a no-nonsense look.  
  
Dimentio's smile evaporated. "…Y-Yes, I suppose so…"  
  
The count sat down beside him, taking care not to invade his personal space. "What's wrong?" When no answer was forth coming, his amber eyes widened just a tad. "Was it…something Count Bleck did?"  
  
The slight twitch in the jester's expression told him he was right. "N-No, of course not. I couldn't ask any more of you after you've provided me with all this."  
  
Count Bleck sighed, hanging his head. "You know, I'm trying my very best to do well by all of you, but it's a little silly when you think about it. Why be nice to a select few people when you are murdering all the rest?" He shook his head sadly and looked at Dimentio. "You don't wish to tell me?"  
  
The jester frowned, lips tightening into a sneer. "No. If you don't know what it is, then you need to think about it more. Now, go away and leave me alone." He made a shooing motion and gestured towards the door.  
  
"As you wish." Count Bleck stood with a sigh and walked over to the door, pausing in the doorway and staring out at the hallway. "Don't bottle up your emotions, Dimentio. Whatever you need to do…do it," he said in a low voice, then was gone.  
  
He knew what Dimentio was angry about, and it was something he could never apologize for. The jester had become aware that he had been lied to. Perhaps he had read it in the Dark Prognosticus, or maybe had caught it from the count's words or expressions. Whatever he chose to do about it, Count Bleck would forgive him for it.


	5. Honor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this chapter contains some physical and mental abuse. Nothing too graphic, just a heads up.

Every night, someone woke up screaming. Tonight, it was Mr. L. Count Bleck no longer showed his other minions as much kindness as he first had, finding it harder and harder to keep up the evil act as time ran out. It was easier to avoid them than to let them see who he really was.  
  
Out of all of the ways he had recruited his minions, Mr. L's creation made him feel the worst. He knew who Luigi had been before all this. He had turned the hero's own brother against him, chased away the light in him in a necessary attempt to create the man in green the Dark Prognosticus called for.  
  
It had been a long process. Nastasia had never done something like that before. He still woke up in a cold sweat, hearing the man's screaming echoing in his ears…  
  
_He entered the cell, spotting the man in green huddling in the far corner. The brim of his green hat was pulled over his eyes, as if to hide from the dark._  
  
_"Man in green…" Count Bleck said carefully. The man looked up at him, his blue eyes going wide in fright at the sight of his blood-red eyes glowing in the dark. He conjured up a purple flame and cupped it in the palm of his hand, lowering himself down to the prisoner's eye level. "What's your name…?"_  
  
_"L-Luigi," the man answered hesitantly._  
  
_"Do you know who I am, Luigi?"_  
  
_Luigi nodded. "Yeah… You're that Count Bleck guy who kidnapped the princess. I-I tried to stop you and your phony wedding, but I was too weak…"_  
  
_The count's expression softened minutely. He thought it would be harder to find a weakness, a focal point for the hypnotic personality switch. He hated the fact that he was going to have to abuse it. If only it had been someone else who had touched the Chaos Heart, someone without so much innocence in them._  
  
_"Correct," he said in a loud, blustering voice, covering up his sympathy. "You were not even close." He paused, narrowing his expression into a scornful grin. "You will always be worthless, pathetic… You aren't a hero. Heck, you aren't even villain material! Count Bleck should strike you down."_  
  
_'Villain material' was Nastasia's cue to start her hypnosis. He heard her shift somewhere behind him, the waves of her hypnosis invisibly passing him by and focusing on the poor, defeated man. He raised his staff, hating the way the man cringed away. He hated it even more when he brought it down, striking him and producing a choked yelp. "You are weak. Even your own brother spits on you."_  
  
_There was another scream, this time followed by a sob. "So, you will not even fight back?"_  
  
_"I-I can't!" Luigi cried out, blood dripping to the floor._  
  
_"Fight!" the count snarled, leaving a third line of red._  
  
_Luigi only howled in pain._  
  
_Count Bleck hit him again and again and again…each time yelling at him to fight back. But he never did. Nastasia gasped in shock and fright with each thud, but did not cease her hypnotism. She knew this was the work of the other, the thing that pushed the once pure Blumiere into darkness._  
  
_The staff was lifted tremblingly high in the air, but it fell uselessly to his side. There was a clatter as the count dropped it, his white cloak now stained by flecks of crimson._  
  
_Luigi lay on the floor, legs hugged to his chest in a passive effort to protect himself, sobs raking painfully through his body. Count Bleck could not bear to push him further today. He shakily left the dungeon, leaving Nastasia to clean up. He went to his bedroom. Blumiere wanted to cry, but Count Bleck would not let him._  
  
_It continued like that for days and days, Count Bleck abusing him time and time again until, finally, Luigi caught the staff as it was descending, and said in a firm voice, "NO." After that, his part was blessedly done. From that one simple change which he had forced into the man, Nastasia could bend and shape his soul into that of a different person. She would and had been telling him that it was the man in red who was the source of the pain, of his feelings of worthlessness._  
  
_She would convince him that Count Bleck believed in him. He did believe, and only wished that he could express that support to the man who was really there, not this facsimile that had been put in his place._  
  
He looked up, startled to find that he had gone to Mr. L's hangar/bedroom on autopilot. He had planned to go back to bed. No, his heart was right. He owed it to this man whom he'd tortured for days on end to offer him comfort if he could.  
  
He stood there in the middle of the hangar, looking around but not seeing the man in green. In the quiet, he heard the soft sound of sobbing and headed towards it. "Mr. L?"  
  
There was a bang and a clatter as something was dropped. Mr. L darted out from behind one of the many projects littering his room, saluting hastily. He was missing his hat and mask, and had clearly fallen asleep working on something. "Count Bleck! Wh-What do you need?"  
  
The count sighed sadly, despising the man's frightened respect. "Have you been having nightmares?"  
  
Mr. L looked taken aback at the abruptness of the unexpected question. "Y-Yeah, so?" He gasped and looked worried. "Is it affecting my efficiency?!"  
  
"No! …Er, ahem. Count Bleck does not expect one hundred percent efficiency out of anyone, even himself."  
  
Mr. L shook his head. "But I've gotta be perfect… For you! I owe you for everything you've done for me!"  
  
Count Bleck bit his lip, torn between telling the man about his past, hightailing it out of there, or giving him a hug. After fighting with himself for a moment, he actually opted for the last one. Count Bleck delicately tucked his minion against his chest, leaving Mr. L confused and stiff, unable to return it.  
  
"You owe me nothing, Mr. L," the count said quietly in a choked voice. "Please, tell me what your nightmare was about."  
  
"I-It was nothing…" Mr. L said, finally resting his head against the count's shoulder. "Just those weird dreams about the heroes again… Nothing to worry about, right?"  
  
Count Bleck hated himself for this. "Yes…" He released the mechanic, whose head was bowed down towards the floor. "Mr. L, if you ever need anything, promise you will come find me. I will always help you," he said solemnly.  
  
Mr. L looked up at him and smiled slightly, hints of Luigi contained in that smile. "Thank you…"  
  
Count Bleck nodded before turning with a flourish of his cloak and exiting the hangar just as mechanically as he'd arrived.


	6. Worth

From across the castle, he could hear the terrible, terrible singing. He had banned Nastasia from administering physical punishment, so she had gotten creative. But this…this was punishing everyone in the castle, not just the burly Irishman.  
  
The singing faded away. He had just visited Sammer's Kingdom, one of the first worlds to be consumed by The Void, and wasn't in the best of moods. He had a lot to think about, and welcomed the excuse, er…need to go check up on O'Chunks and make sure the minion hadn't…collapsed from exhaustion or something. He winced as the screeching began anew. And also to put an end to the horrible noise, he thought.  
  
He flung open the door to the meeting room. Nastasia stood on their pedestal, while O'Chunks was on his own, sweat beading on his forehead as he sang with as much gusto as he could muster. Nobody else was present, and Count Bleck hoped they were all safely locked away in their rooms with a load of cotton stuffed into their ears.  
  
"Nastasia!" he tried to shout over the noise. "NASTASIA!"  
  
"Yes, count?" she shouted back.  
  
"Tell O'Chunks to stop!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Tell him." He pointed at the Irishman. "To stop singing!"  
  
"O'Chunks! You can stop, 'K?" She made a stop motion with her hands.  
  
O'Chunks heeded and quit singing. He slumped over and almost collapsed, knuckles dragging and sweat dripping onto the floor. "'Ey… 'Ey, count…" he panted in greeting.  
  
Count Bleck nodded his acknowledgement before continuing. "That's enough, Nastasia. No need to punish everyone."  
  
She nodded. "Sorry…"  
  
"Don't be. It's rather creative. Now, Count Bleck would like to speak with O'Chunks in privacy, if you would. I will meet with you later."  
  
"Um, 'K. I got the memo." She hopped off of her platform and left the room.  
  
The count turned to the exhausted warrior. "You may rest, O'Chunks."  
  
O'Chunks didn't respond, but immediately collapsed backwards and spread himself out on the floor. Count Bleck blinked, not quite expecting that, but not correcting him either. He floated up to the Irishman's platform and sat down, daintily bunching up his white cloak onto his lap so it wouldn't get dirty. "What is Nastasia punishing you for, if Count Bleck may ask?"  
  
O'Chunks sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "I dun failed yeh again, me count… I doan deserve teh be in your service when yeh got people like Nastasia an' Dimentio around…"  
  
Count Bleck shook his head and tsked. "Nonsense. Count Bleck chose you for a reason. Sometimes…we may feel like we aren't worth anything, but that is never true. You are just as important as anyone here, including Count Bleck." Little did he know how true those words were.  
  
O'Chunks just sighed again. Count Bleck began to fidget with his gloves. "Has…Count Bleck ever told you he is sorry?"  
  
O'Chunks sat up at that and looked at the count incredulously. "'Eh?! Sorry fer what?!"  
  
Count Bleck looked away. "Well, for the way he…'convinced' you to come with him…"  
  
The Irishman looked puzzled. "Yeh didn' do nothin' teh me…"  
  
"Oh, but of course I did… Count Bleck preyed upon your emotions and used them to manipulate you… He can never apologize enough for the way he made you feel." He shook his head sadly.  
  
O'Chunks laughed and grinned. "'Ey, that's all water under the bridge. I would have moped around forever if yeh hadn't talked me out o' it. Sides, yeh dun a lot fer me an' I feel like I gots tah pay yeh back."  
  
Count Bleck chuckled. "Oh, you don't have to win Count Bleck's approval. You will always have it."  
  
The warrior took that in for a moment, then smiled. "Yeh see what I'm talkin' about? Yah really are da best man o' men…"  
  
Count Bleck wondered what that meant, then decided they'd come to some form of agreement. He hesitated, then moved over to O'Chunks' side and laid down beside him, trying not to wrinkle his nose at the man's horrible body odor or fret over the grime he was getting on his clothes. "So, did that song you were singing have lyrics?"  
  
"Of course it did. Nassy had me make up a little ditty that's supposed teh be inspirational an' all that mushy stuff," O'Chunks replied, in wonder that the count has so casually joined him on the floor.  
  
"Ah, I see. Count Bleck is curious as to what those may be."  
  
"Yeh want me teh sing it again?"  
  
"Yes, but very softly please."  
  
"Alright, 'ere goes…"  
  
Later, on his way to his office to prepare for his meeting with Nastasia, the count found himself singing it under his breath, and felt a soft warmth inside of him.  
  
_"Raise your chunks in the air,_  
  
_As the most debonair man of men strides into the room!_  
  
_Springing forth from his lair as his foes all despair,_  
  
_For Bleck be the name of their doom!_  
  
_Whooa-OH! That's our Bleck!_  
  
_Blecky, Bleckity DOOOO!_  
  
_Uh, something Bleck…_  
  
_That's the guy who says…_  
  
_Woo!"_  
  
He laughed under his breath. It seems O'Chunks had run out of ideas towards the end. "Blecky, Bleckity dooo indeed." It felt nice to be appreciated; if only it wasn't for something so despicable. His minions, or rather, most of them, still believed that they were getting their own perfect worlds. He tried to make their time here as enjoyable as he could, but in the end, they were going to be destroyed with himself and everything else in existence.  
  
Why was he doing this? How could he do this to them? It was too late now. He had to treasure what little time he had left, and spend it with the people he cared about. He should embrace what last vestiges of Blumiere there were left inside him.


	7. Lies

Feeling particularly crummy, Count Bleck stalked down a dark hallway. He had had a feel for what Nastasia was going to want to talk about. O'Chunks had told him that both Mimi and Mr. L had gone off on a "secret sneak attack mission", at Dimentio's suggestion. He was on his way to have a chat with the jester about that right now.  
  
What O'Chunks hadn't been able to tell him was that Mr. L had reportedly gone missing. This… This worried him greatly. He felt uneasy, feeling that perhaps the man in green had reverted back to Luigi. He didn't know whether to feel happy about his possible freedom. Above that, he was truly worried that something terrible had happened to him.  
  
He flung open the jester's door without knocking. No one was there. He looked around the neglected room, eyes narrowed in suspicion. He jumped when someone tapped his shoulder, and spun around to see Dimentio casually floating behind him, wearing that same cold smile he always wore. "Good evening, my count. Do you require something of me?"  
  
Count Bleck readjusted his hat and cleared his throat, regaining his composure. He fixed the jester with what he hoped was an imposing glare. "May I ask why you sent both Mimi and Mr. L off on a sneak attack when I expressly forbid them from going anywhere for their own safety?"  
  
"Dropping the third person, are we?" Dimentio examined his hands. "Well, I did nothing of the sort. They would have thought of it eventually."  
  
The count's crimson eyes narrowed. That was as close to a confession as he was going to get. "Where is Mr. L?" he asked coldly.  
  
Dimentio's self-control flickered for a split second, and he was too slow to cover up the grief that very briefly dimmed his eyes. But the count caught it, and pressed the point. "What did you do?"  
  
At that, Dimentio's seemingly harmless smile fell away entirely, replaced by a carefully neutral expression. "I've done nothing."  
  
Count Bleck drew closer, grabbing the jester by his collar and yanking him down to eye level. "What. did. you.  _do_?" he hissed.  
  
Dimentio didn't answer, but Count Bleck peered into his eyes intently, spotting the hurt buried deep there. After a moment, he let the jester go and turned away, already knowing that he was guilty of something awful. "…Is he dead?"  
  
"…No."  
  
The count turned back to his minion. "So you aren't trying to stop me."  
  
Dimentio grinned, the expression looking horribly unnatural. "Not at all."  
  
Count Bleck sighed. "You really should…"  
  
The grin disappeared. "E-Excuse me?"  
  
The jester's confused look was met with a sorrowful look of his own. "I am sorry…for lying to you…"  
  
"So you figured it out."  
  
"Yes… All of you give me such hope… I could not bear to crush your dreams…"  
  
Dimentio snorted angrily. "So what's the point of all this then?"  
  
Count Bleck chuckled. "Oh, I have no idea… Emotions do such strange things to people…"  
  
"Yes, that's why I've chosen to ignore them all my life…"  
  
There was silence for a few moments. All the tension and anger seemed to fade out of the room. The count approached the jester and held out his hand. Dimentio only shook his head. The hand dropped.  
  
"Whatever you choose to do, Dimentio," Count Bleck said softly, pulling down the brim of his hat. "I will not stop you…" He started to leave.  
  
"Count?"  
  
Count Bleck looked back over his shoulder.  
  
Dimentio had just the slightest hint of a real smile on his face. "Thanks for trying…" Then, he vanished, leaving behind one of his rippling pings, before that too was gone.  
  
Count Bleck nodded. He closed the door in silence.


	8. Despair

Speak, Dark Prognosticus! Teach your dark history! I await your command!  
  
_His eyes fluttered under their lids as he began to wake._  
  
Blu-Blumiere! Don't do this!  
  
Blumiere is no more! I am Count Bleck! And no one shall stand in my way!  
  
Bleh heh heh heh….  
  
BLEH HEH HEH! BLECK!  
  
_He gasped and sat up, the laugh still ringing in his ears. He looked around, but there was nothing to look at but destruction. Beside him, his father's hand still clutched onto his cloak. He jerked away, dislodging the hand's hold. His stomach turned, and he turned and threw up on the floor. A hand was all that was left. The rest had been obliterated into a bloody mark._  
  
_He felt a presence behind him, the same presence that had been singing its siren song to him for all these long years. He straightened and faced it. The book floated there, its pages still open. With an unconscious movement, he flicked his wrist at it, and it obediently closed and went to his hand. He stared at it, the dark power contained within it seeming to seep through its jewel-encrusted black cover._  
  
_He tore his gaze away from it and stumbled from the room, blindly making his way through the now decrepit castle. He pretended he couldn't see the bodies that littered the hallways. He pretended he hadn't slaughtered the cruel and innocent alike._  
  
_He reached the outside world, but the air was as dead and still as it had been inside the castle. All he could smell was death, and he couldn't seem to quit inhaling so quickly. Wait…Nastasia! What had happened to her?! Had…Had he gotten her too?_  
  
_He immediately took off in a sprint, breaking out into a cold sweat. He didn't know what he would do without her. How had this happened? Who was he? The dark voice that had dwelled in the back of his mind for years told him Blumiere was dead. It was true. This…Count Bleck, himself…was a speaker of truth. He knew he was right._  
  
_His footfalls slowed, until he was walking calmly. He stopped briefly and stared at the direction he was going. He'd left her by the river. There was no rush. If she was still alive, there wasn't a living being left that could hurt her. Except for himself… That got him moving again. The pangs of despair only intensified as he drank in the eradication around him._  
  
_He was responsible for all this, for every scorch mark and corpse littering his path. He swallowed heavily. All the while, he heard it, the voice whispering urgently. It was so hard to ignore…_  
  
_He went around the remains of a building and found her there. She was kneeling down in the middle of the path, trembling, her long pink hair covering her face. Immeasurable relief flooded through him. "N-Nastasia?"_  
  
_She looked up. Glistening marks were the only thing betraying her silent crying. She gasped and immediately threw herself into his arms. "Oh, B-Blumiere! I was so scared!" It was then that she noticed the blood he was covered with. "W-What happened? What did you-"_  
  
_He interrupted her with a dark cackle. "Bleh heh heh… Blumiere is no more, dear one. I am Count Bleck."_  
  
_She separated himself from him. "What are you talking about?!"_  
  
_He glowered, flinging open his cloak. In his hand, the Dark Prognosticus seemed to pulse, chasing away his guilt. "You see, my dear, Blumiere has been wrong all these years. These worlds are worth nothing. Count Bleck must destroy them, each and every one, obliterate them even more thoroughly than here. You need not follow Count Bleck any longer. He has no need of you."_  
  
_He looked over his shoulder, at the castle. He would need a base. At once, he headed back the way he had come, no longer paying any attention to Nastasia._  
  
_Without hesitation, she followed him, and he watched as the world around them slowly faded to nothing. All but the castle, which remained as dark and imposing as ever, and which he now claimed as his. He laughed a horrible laugh filled with despair and insanity._  
  
Bleh heh heh… Bleh heh heh heh… BLEH HEH HEH! BLECK!  
  
He woke with a strangled scream. For a moment, he didn't know where he was. Then he remembered. Tonight was the night. The heroes were coming for him.  
  
He flung away the covers, trying to control the shaking of his hands. He owed everything to her. The Dark Prognosticus' power over him had been steadily decreasing, and he knew the remains of Blumiere still existed only due to Nastasia. She had never left his side, not allowing him to die completely. And now, he had found that he cared for his minions, each and every one. He could have chosen far eviler people to help him, but he had not. He had chosen people, not monsters.  
  
He wiped away the sweat beading on his forehead. He wasn't ready for this, to let go of everything he had come to love. But it must happen. He would die either way, and only hoped that he wouldn't bring down everyone around him.  
  
He gathered them one by one, and sent them off to their positions. The warrior and the spider, the bat faithfully by his side. And the jester with a heart of ice, unmentioned in the dark book. He silently said goodbye to them all and took his place, only his secretary beside him as it had been in the beginning. He waited, unwilling and unable to stop the tremors that shook the black castle. He heard only the sound of his heart pounding away desperately in his chest.


	9. Love

_"Count Bleck! You looked so tattered and pathetic, I nearly forgot about you. I'll squeeze the life out of you later…"_  
  
He heard those words as the world spun around. It would have made him feel sick, if he hadn't already felt so beaten down and broken. The wounds the heroes had inflicted on him were nothing compared to the pain his heart was feeling. It had been a long time since it had felt so strongly.  
  
He didn't know if what Dimentio said was true. Did the boy harbor that much hatred because of a single lie? It didn't matter. Nothing could be worse than knowing he had failed. Things weren't supposed to happen this way.  _She_  was supposed to be gone.  
  
"We have to do something! We have to save Mario and the others!" she cried, fluttering around the small green room desperately. She looked so different, but he knew her voice.  
  
He stood shakily, and reached out a hand. After a moment's hesitation, she settled onto his palm, trusting that he wouldn't crush her with his fist. "W-We cannot… Without the Pure Hearts, there is no way to counter the Chaos Heart. All we can do is give up…" He hung his head, feeling nothing but despair. To be reunited at last only to lose everything was too much. He had no strength left.  
  
Timpani shouted at him, her wings quivering with anger. "What are you SAYING?! You promised we would find happiness together! Was that all just a lie?!"  
  
He shook his head sadly. That was so very long ago, in a different lifetime, and yet she still remembered. "It was no lie… But without the Pure Hearts, all worlds are doomed. What can we do?" He closed his azure eyes, a sign of his defeat. A few tears made their way down to his collar.  
  
"Blumiere!" Timpani bumped into his cheek, getting him to look at her. His heart twinged at the sound of the name no one had been allowed to call him for years. "Snap out of it! How can you think it would end here, after all we have suffered without each other?"  
  
"But-"  
  
"No! We found each other again because we stayed alive… How can you admit defeat?!"  
  
He glanced down at his side, where Nastasia lay, not breathing. "I am sorry, Timpani, my Timpani… I have nothing left…"  
  
She sank down a little, and whispered, "I will not… I will not give up! You promised we'd find happiness! You PROMISED!" She grazed his cheek again, this time wiping away the tears there. She settled on his shoulder, but he reached up and removed her from there, cupping her fragile form in both hands.  
  
There was a sound from behind. He turned, expecting Dimentio, but saw his remaining minions instead. "My minions… How did you find us here?"  
  
Mimi grinned at him, her cheerful demeanor unmarred by the dirt on her clothing or the way her hair was mussed up. "Gosh, I could follow your big smile anywhere, count!"  
  
Beside her, O'Chunks sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, she lies like a wee rug, this lass! Nastasia told us, count! She said you'd come 'ere…or… She said she FELT you'd be here…or something along those lines."  
  
He looked down at her again, dropping his hands and letting Timpani fly on her own. "Nastasia…" She had also known this was going to happen?  
  
O'Chunks spotted her and gasped. "S-She even sacrificed 'erself teh save yeh! …Lissen, count, I promised me life as well, an' I'm not afraid tah live up teh it! So… Yeh gotta let me 'elp!" He flexed his muscles, giving the count a look that said he wasn't going to take no as an answer.  
  
Mimi jumped and clapped her hands. "Yeah! I mean, there's no WAY Dimentio's getting away with this! He pulled a really dirty trick on you, but we'll always stick by your side!"  
  
He felt more tears welling up and pulled down the brim of his hat to hide them. "My… My loyal minions…" The dark hand on his heart loosened, and he felt warm. There was suddenly a flash of white light, and then the Pure Hearts appeared, circling around all five of them with bright energy. "W-What's this? The Pure Hearts?! But…why?"  
  
Timpani fluttered by his head. "Isn't it obvious, Blumiere?" He could hear the smile in her voice. "Pure Hearts are the very feelings of our souls. As long as we feel love, they live on!" She slowly left his side and gathered up the powerful relics. "I will take these to Mario. Don't give up!" She disappeared, never having been trapped in the dimension in the first place.  
  
Neither had he been. His own emotions had trapped him here to await cold death. But now… He walked over to his minions, tears shining in his sapphire eyes. Without question, Mimi jumped into his arms and he enveloped her with a warm hug. O'Chunks grinned and crushed the both of them in a strong embrace. Count Bleck laughed, a loving, genuine laugh, for the first time in an eternity. "Thank you! Thank you…"


	10. Hope

_"'Ey, count! What're yeh doin'?!" O'Chunks exclaimed, crooked eyes going wide._  
  
_"We will use the Pure Hearts again, this time to banish the Chaos Heart. All we need is true love…" He looked at Timpani and smiled. "And that is something I am lucky enough to possess. But…" The smile faded. "With the Chaos Heart gone, the Pure Hearts and those linked to them… They may cease to exist…"_  
  
_Mimi gasped and immediately latched onto his cloak. "You mean you might go away? B-But, I don't want you to go!" She started crying._  
  
_He bent down and held her, soothing away the tears. "All of this is my fault… The price is mine to pay." After a moment, he let her go, taking out a handkerchief and giving it to her. The green girl sniffed and used it to wipe her eyes._  
  
_He turned to his beloved. "But you, Timpani…" He struggled to get the words out. "It pains me to know this may cut your game short… Still… There is no other way to end this…"_  
  
_She settled on the back of his hand. He knew she was smiling up at him, even if he couldn't see it. "I know, Blumiere… I know…"_  
  
_"Timpani…"_  
  
_"Don't say another word… As long as I am with you, nothing else matters."_  
  
_He bit back a sob. Just then, the world around them shook violently, almost causing him to lose his shaky balance._  
  
_O'Chunks steadied himself and shouted, "It-It's happening!"_  
  
_The count straightened, a determined expression appearing on his face. "We must go, Timpani…"_  
  
_"Yes, Blumiere…" She lifted off of his hand and flew to the altar. He began to leave as well, but stopped and looked back at his two loyal friends. He smiled, and bowed low to them, showing them his respect and gratitude. Then, he turned away and continued to the altar. The Chaos Heart appeared in between them, and then the world faded away as he saw nothing but her._  
  
_It was the vows, the vows that they had never been able to say long ago, that unlocked the last of the dark chains binding his heart. He let it out, all of it, his love for her and the world and his minions and even the heroes. Then the world truly did disappear as all went white._  
  
_…_  
  
_"Blumiere?"_  
  
"…Blumiere?"  
  
He opened his eyes, blinking away the bleariness and squinting against the sun. She was there, gently shaking his shoulder to wake him. The wind played with her auburn hair, lifting it teasingly. He looked up into her beautiful green eyes and smiled. She smiled back, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Good morning. Did you fall asleep out here, my silly Blumiere?"  
  
He looked around. He was sitting on the grass, leaning against the tree. "I suppose I did, love." His happy smile fell away.  
  
Timpani noticed. "What's wrong?"  
  
He patted the ground beside him, and she sat down. He leaned his head against her shoulder and sighed. "I came out here to think… I miss them, Timpani…"  
  
She understood. "Me, too. I never really got to meet them, but I miss Mario and the others. And from the stories you like to tell me, your minions were some pretty great people."  
  
He suddenly felt like crying. "And Nastasia… She gave her life for me… and I could never relieve her misery…"  
  
Timpani patted his cheek. "Well, I'm glad you never stopped loving me, but it sounds like she took good care of you."  
  
He grimaced. "That she did…Timpani…"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Do you think we can ever go back?"  
  
"You want to leave?" She didn't sound upset.  
  
"No… Well, yes, but… I'm happy here, in this place… But I no longer have everyone I care about with me…"  
  
She nodded. "I know… It's nice here, but it really is lacking in people."  
  
He slipped an arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. "Yes, it is… I'm still not sure whether we're dead or not."  
  
She giggled. "I don't think so. I've been to The Overthere, and it's nothing compared to here, with you…"  
  
"Hah! I love you, too…" he hummed.


End file.
